THE SPITZ TAKE: Who's to blame for three children's deaths?

Wednesday

Apr 30, 2014 at 7:00 AMApr 30, 2014 at 7:21 AM

By Julia SpitzDaily News Staff

Several things that happened Tuesday morning made total sense: Olga Roche stepped down as commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, which absolutely had to happen; and head of Health and Human Services John Polanowicz said the recent tragic lapses in care aren’t all Roche’s fault.Polanowicz said exactly what I’ve been thinking.Things at DCF must change. We can’t tolerate kids entrusted to state care turning up dead.We most assuredly can’t tolerate an excuse like the person who normally checks the DCF fax basket was on vacation, hence no one bothered to check on faxes, as was allegedly part of the problem in the case of a Grafton infant’s death.And I don't think Roche did a stellar job of being candid about how bad things really are.But the systemic failures go beyond one person, even the person at the top of the agency’s chain of command.Like any human being, my heart breaks for Jeremiah Oliver, the 5-year-old Fitchburg boy whose body was found earlier this month. It is absolutely unconscionable that it wasn’t until his sister mentioned something to her teacher that anyone seemed to notice he’d been missing for months.The social workers involved with his case deserve plenty of blame.They’re just not alone.Several members of his extended family have been on TV more than once decrying DCF’s actions, or more accurately, inactions, but where were they in the weeks and months leading up to Jeremiah’s disappearance, or during the weeks and months he was gone?Where was anybody else in all that time? Did no one notice things weren't right?There will be a funeral Saturday for the little boy whose name has become eternally linked with DCF’s lethal ineptitude, and we pray that little boy can finally rest in peace.We can pray Aliana Lavigne, the month-old newborn found dead in her mother’s apartment in Grafton, and Bailey Irish, who was only two weeks old when she was pronounced dead at a Leominster hospital, the day after a missed appointment with DCF, rest in peace as well.May their deaths not be in vain.May they spur needed changes at the state agency entrusted to ensure the well-being of children just like them.But perhaps their deaths should remind us how much we, as a society, have changed, how much power we give to government agencies to keep watch over our children, and how little we assume reponsibility for ourselves and our neighbors.We don't want to get involved. It's not our business. And if we do stick our nose where it doesn't belong, we'll get sued at best, shot at worst.That's just how it is.We certainly can't expect a change at the top of a state agency to change society as a whole.There are many Jeremiahs, Baileys and Alianas out there right now. There will be more such youngsters in need of added help down the line.I'm not holding myself up as a shining example of leading the village it takes to raise a child, believe me.Still, I can't help but think there are ways each of us, in our own communities, in our own circles, can make some small difference toward rebuilding that village rather than assuming a career bureaucrat can make all the difference in the world.Julia Spitz can be reached at 508-626-3968 or jspitz@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter at SpitzJ_MW.